Electric connecter



June 19, 1928. 1,674,246

A. c. GAYNOR ET AL ELECTRIC CONNECTER Filed Oct. 6, 1926 INVENTORS= 'Arthur C. Gaynor, m: Balm 561. Ga 7107',

BY J

A TTORNEY.

Patented June 19,1928.

FFECQ ear 0. GAYNOR, or srnarronn, Ann Enwm e. GAYNOR, or. riunrrnnn, con"- nncrrcur.

HIECTEIC CONNEGTER.

Application filed October 6, 1.926. Serial No. 139,774.

Heretofore the commercial types of attachment plug caps or similar connectors have been constructed of a body of porcelain, or of molded insulating composition, provided with a. pair of contact blades or jacks mounted on, oand projecting from, the contact face of the body. The .body of insulating material has usually been provided with a central opening or passage through which the wires to be connected to the contact blades enter, and these wires are then connected to the contact blades by -means of binding screws about which a length of'the wire, from which the insulation has been removed, is wound and then clamped by the head of the screw.

Connectors or attachment plug caps constructed in this manner, however, have a number of disadvantages. The winding of a length of wire about the binding screw and clamping it tightly is not only a laborious L and troublesome manipulation, but also ;necessitates the use of a length of wire to secure a proper anchorage. The use of this extra quantity of wire-involves a considerable expense when the plugs orconnecters are made in large quantities. Moreover, the contact between the wireand the binding screw element is a rigid one and is unable wire so that a very slight variation in the position or dimensions of the wirei'or binding elements will impair the contact even though the connection is still maintained. In the usual construction of plug caps, it .is at times difiicult to grasp the surface of the cap, as when the plug is insertedin a shade or other deep narrow recess, and there is'a tendency to pull on-theconnecting wires rather than on the cap. This tends to loosen the contact between the wire and the terminals .or binding screws, thus impairing the contact and the electrical conductivity 'therethrough. Our present invention obviate the e rito accommodate any displacement .of the "mg specification and claims. I V

The vario features' of the invention are 105 ous disadvantages, one of its objects being to provide a' body of insulating material of molded or stamped construction, in which the contact blades may be mounted and which may be easily and quickly inserted to and held in an enclosin'g shell.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact blade in which the end' of a tvir'e may be secured and resiliently grasped so as to exert a pressure on the wire at all as times, regardless of any displacement of the w1re.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment plug cap in which the lead wiresare secured to contact blades to at a face of a supporting'insulating plate within an enclosing shell having a portion that, may be easily grasped and in which v any poll exerted on the lead wires is re ceived and taken up on the insulatingplate. I

Still further features and objectsof the invention are to provide an attachment plug cap or connecter having a shell into which an insulating plate may be easily and quickly inserted and automatically locked so as it reaches its proper position in the shell;

to provide an insulating plate in which the I contact blades may be mounted and the terminals of the wires may be secured thereto by a single manipulation; to provide an ea insulating body adaptd; to receive and separate the wires, to avoidvall danger of short circuiting, and to take up any tension on the lead wires; to provide-a plug cap having a projecting, gripping surface about M the connecting wires; to provide contact blades of a double'and a hollow construction havin increased lightness and resiliency; to provi e a mountin for a resilient blade of this type whereby t e blademay be mounted and a wire be secured and gripped with a resilient pressure in a' single operation and to a general improvement-in thefconstruction of connecters.

With these and other objects in view, which will further appear in the following detailed description, the inven on comprises the various ,devices described the follow- 1 illustrated in he accompanying drawing, in which the sa e reference character indicates 1th;1 slzlime p rt in-the several views and in w nc ,IL' I l 1 m is a longitudinal 'viewy largely in m:

section, through a plug anda cap embodying the preferred form of the invention,

ig. 2 is a cross section of .the cap taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the cap taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the cap taken through the axis of the cap at right angles to the view of Fig. 3, and showing.

one of the contact blades partly removed to illustrate 1118 111311118! of inserting the wire,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of an insulating plate'forming part of the plug cap,

Fig. 6 is av bottom view of the insulating plate shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7. is a bottom view of a shell in which may be mounted the insulating plate shown 7 in Figs. 5 and 6,

. or turned inwardly in portions of its blades inserted through the openin Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a termicilial blade taken on line 88 of Fig. 4, an

9 is a top plan view of a terminal blade illustrating the manner in which the end of a wire is insertedand gripped. V In our present invention the contact blades are mounted in a circular plate of insulating material and extend from oneface, which is enclosed in a shell, through openings "in the plate and project from the opposite exposed surface of the plate. The terminal ends of the lead wires are secured to the bindin ends of the contact blades and the in the therein insulatin plate and thus mounts in asing e-operation. In this operation the end of the wire is first passed through an openin .in the blade, the blade isthen inserted t rough an opening in the insulating plate, and as the blade ispushed into position in the opening the wire is bent, received in a recess in the insulating plate'and-tightly gripped by the end of the blades, which are compressed with spring pressure about the wire.

Before being thus gripped into the terminal ends of the contact blades, the wire is passed through an opening in an enclosing shell and then'through an open'end of theshell. The edge of this open end is curled cry to form retaining lips. The ate of insulating material has portions of its periphery correspondingly cut inwardly so short circuiting T a up that it may be pushed inwardly past the retaining lips, and when entirely within the ,shell, it is given a turn to bring theuncut portions of its peri-phery underneath the retainin shell indented so that when the proper position-is'reached they interlock and prevent displacement. The portions of the lead wire wit in the .shellare laid in separate grooves which hold them ,laplart and insure against ese grooves are also so curved as to t anytension on the wires.

periphis then pushed downwardl lips. The periphery of the insulating p ate is notched and'the 'wall of the Referring more particularly to the accompanying-drawings, a pair of contact blades '10 and 11 are adapted toJbe inserted in of legs 16 and 17 Which when removed from the openin 13 or 14, tend to diverge slightly as s own in Fig. 4, but when inserted in the opening 12 or 13 are compressed to a substantially parallel position. When the blade is inserted in its respective opening 13 or 14, the bight portion 15 forms the projecting end of the blade. The upper ends of thelegs which are mounted in the open-' ings 12 and 13 are bent to enable them to grlp and hold the end of a lead wire. For this purpose the upperend of theleg 16 is bent sidewise to form a foot 18 and the upper end of the leg 17 is bent first outwardly in a direction opposite to that of the foot 18 .to form a projection 19, then in a reverse curve 20-and is then extended in an extension 21 overlying and slightly spaced from, the foot 18. The curved portion 20 .forms a-spring which holds the extension- 21 downwardly with a resilient spring action toward the foot 18 when the legs are pressed together which serves to press tightly a wire HID positioned betweenthe foot 18 and the extension 21. I

In securing a wire 22 or 23 of a cable 24 to a contact blade 10 or 11, a portion 25 of the wire is stripped of its insulation and inserted into an opening '26 in the leg 16 slightly belowthe foot 18. The wire is inserted from the inner side of the leg as ind-icated in Fi 4 leaving a short'proje'cting end 27 exten ing outwardly from the opening26. The wire is then bent in the direction of the arrow in'Fig. 9 to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 4. Theblade through its opening 12 or 13 whereby t e legs 16 and 1 are pressed together and the extension 21 of leg 17 ispushed over the foot18. of leg 16 and -..-tightly presses the wire between. This pressure is always maintained, regard? less ,of the thickness of the wire or any changesin this diameter and'readily accommodates any thickness of wire.

movement the projecting end 27 of the wire As the blade reaches the downward limit of its 22 is received in a deep 'narrow recess '28' extending sidewise of the upper end of the opening 12 or 13 and is thereby further bent and compressed as indicated in Fig.1, and

enables a tighter or more thereby provides further anchorage to its respective blade. The foot 18 and the foot elements-19 and 21 are received in a broad shallow recess 29, which serves as a stop for the blades, the uppersurfaceof the extension 21 lying immediately beneath the upper surface of the plate 12.

The leg portions 16 and 17 of the blade may be of an desired construction or form, but it is preferred to make them of rather thin metal and to curve their edge portions at 30 and 31 as indicated in Fig. 8, as this permits the necessary rigidit to be obtained with thinner metal, than if the legs were flat'snd, moreover, give a resiliency which ermanent fit to be obtained in mounting t ele s in their mounting openings 12 or 13. 'and' thickness of the leg portionsare nor- .mally' -slightly greater than those of the openings 12 and 13, which are rectangular so'that the blades-are slightly compressed and exert a spring actionagainstthe edges of the holes L r To prevent sidew-ise displacement of the wire portion- 25, the side edges of the ex tension 21 of leg 17 are turned downwardly to'form short ledges 32.

The blades 10 and 11 having been inserted .in the holes 12- and 13 areprevented from being pushed back out oftheir openings by means of a plate of insulating material 33 which fits against the upper face of the plate 14. The plates 14' and 33 are held in assembled position by aneans of a shell 34 having an open endinto which the plates are pushed until the plate 33 reaches and rests against an inturned top or shoulder 35.

When inserted in'the shell '34, the plates 14 and 33 are entirely inclosed except for the face 36 of the plate 14 from which the blades 10 and 11 project. The shell 34 is extended beyond the shoulder 35 to form a neck 37 encircling the cable 24 and having at its upper end an opening 38 through which the cable "enters. The outer surface of the neck 37 is knurled'at 39 to enable it to be readily grasped. This neck ortion not only provides a gripping sur ace that permits the cap to be grasped when mounted within an ornamental shade or hell but also provides a space within which frayed ends of the cord 24 may be retained. In assembling the plug cap the cable is. inserted through the opening 38 and through the opening 40 in the plate 33., The wires 22 and 23 are separated fora short distance and the end (portions stripped of insulation. The strippe portions are then secured to their respective contact blades in the manner-'- described above.- The separate portions of" the wire are then placed-in the oove's or" channels'41 and 42 on the inner tace of the.

plate 14 These channels are so shaped as to bring the wires in separatelpath's tothe The. breadth center of the plate, thereby keeping the wires separated and taking up by a snubbing action any pull-or tension on the cable or cord 24. The insulating plate 33 is then placed J on the blade l4, closing the channels 41 and 42 and the plates 33 and 14 are pushed inwardly through the open end of the shell The shell 34 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposite retaining lips 43 and 44 projecting inwardly from the side edges of the shell 34. Each of these lips preferably extends around one quarter of the circumference of the shell opening. Between the ends of these lips a pair of free or cutaway portions 45 and 46'ai'e left of substantially the full diameter of the shell. The edge of the plate 14 in two diametrically opposite portions 47 and 48 of approximately each extend to a diameter substantially equal to that of the inner surface of the shell 34, and in a pair of intermediate portions 49. and 50 is cut-away or reduced to'enable the plate to be moved past the retaining li s 43 J and 44. ln'assembling the plates and shell, the reducedportions 49 and 50 are brought into alignment with the lips 43 and 44, the plate 14 is pushed into the Shell until a shoulder 51 on the edge ofthe plate rest-s against a shoulder 52 of the shell and the outer face 36 lies entirely within the shell. The plate 14 is then given a quarter turnbringing the ortions 47 and 48 in alignment with, and wlthin the retaining lips 43 and 44, whereby the plate is retamed within the shell. When the portions 47 and 48 are correctly aligned within the lips 43 and 44, an indentation 53 in the shell 34 projects into a notch 54 in the side of the plate 14 and thus holds the plate against accidental rotation in the shell.

The plug cap thus formed may be used with an suita'ble receptacle or lugi such as that in 'cated by way of examp cm Fig. 1.

In this instance the blades 10 and 11 are cap and blade arrangement in which the wires may be secured to the blades and the blades mounted in an insulating body in a single manipulation. Moreover the wires are held in the blades by spring contact which insures an efiective' contact under all "conditions. The length of wire required to enter the cap and besecured to the blades is reduced to a minimum, and the separated wires are held in separate paths that re complete insulation of any stripped portions. Any tension on these wires is taken 11 in the insulating body and is not transmitted fully to the contact blade members. The gripping neck 37 not only provides a portion that may be easily gripped when the plug is inserted into ornamental bells or shades or deep recesses and thus removes'the occasion for pulling the wire, but it also provides a chamber for receivingunsightly frayed ends of the cable insulation. The-interlocking arrangement between the plate 14 and the shell 34 provid s an arrangement whereby the parts maybe quicklyand easily assembled and held in assembled position. It will be apparent that although the contact blades described above are particularly adapted for use in the cap construction described, they may be advantageously applied to other similar uses and also that other features of the invention might be used with blades of somewhat different construction.

As changes of construction could be made within the scope of our invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now described our invention, What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A contact blade having a bight portion, a pair of legs extending from said bight, each of said legs having a foot portion, one

of said legs having an opening near its foot,

' the foot' of said other leg being resiliently held slightly spaced from the end of said first leg when said legs are pressed together.

2. A contact blade having a bight portion, a pair of legs extending from said bight portion, one of said legs having "a foot extending sidewise, and the other leg having a foot member extending first in a direction opposite that of said first mentioned foot, then curving through an arc and extendin in spaced relation to said first mentioned foot when said legs are pressed together.

3. A connecter of the type described which comprises a shell having an open 'end, an

insulating plate removably mounted in said open end, a pair of contact blades extendin .through said plate and pro ecting in space relation from the outer face of said plate, the inner face of said plate havin a pair of curved grooves extending from t e inner ends of said contact blades towards the 'center of said plate, and a retaining plate of insulating material on the inner face, of said insulating platev and having a central opening communicating with said, curved grooves.

4. A connecter of the type described which comprises a plate having a pair of spaced openings-and recesses at the inner face of said plate about said opening, a pair of contact blades, one for each opening, each of said contact blades comprising a pair of legs joined at the projecting end and extending through said opening, and having members within said recesses adapted to grip and anplate having one face enclosed within sai v shell, a pair of spaced openings through said plate, recesses in the enclosed face of said plate about said openings, a pair of contact blades, one extending through each opening. and projecting from the exposed face of said plate, wire clamping elements on the inner ends of said blades within said recesses, and a plate of insulating material enclosed between said inner face of said plate and the inner wall of said shell.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

' GAYNOR.-

EDWIN' G. G'AYNOR. 

